Maps of Movies

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

Where Journey to the Center of the Earth says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

A Boston scientist's trip to the middle of the Earth starts on a real Icelandic mountain; most of what comes after is computer-made.

Scenes and places

Trevor's lab and the box of Max's notes (2007)

Trevor, a volcanologist, has his nephew Sean dropped on him for ten days, along with a box that belonged to Sean's missing father Max. Inside Max's copy of Verne's novel he finds notes that match seismic readings from the year Max disappeared. He decides on the spot to chase them to Iceland, with Sean in tow.

Set in Trevor's lab, Boston — The Boston volcanologist's lab, where Max's old notes meet today's seismic readings. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Boston is the capital of Massachusetts; the film's story begins in the city.

Arrival in Iceland and Hannah (2007)

Trevor and Sean go looking for the scientist Max may have contacted, but find his daughter Hannah instead. She tells them her father is dead, and that he and Max believed Verne's books were fact. Hannah agrees to guide them to a seismic sensor that has started sending data again.

Set in Iceland — Trevor and Sean arrive in Iceland and meet the daughter of the scientist they came to find.

The lightning storm on the mountain (2007)

While hiking toward the sensor, Trevor, Sean and Hannah are caught in a sudden lightning storm and run for cover in a cave. Trevor won't let go of the sensor, which is attracting the lightning. A rockfall then seals the cave entrance, and the only way left is down.

Set in Mount Sneffels — The mountain where the sensor is found; Hannah calls it treacherous, and Trevor says it is the portal in Verne's novel. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Snæfellsjökull is a stratovolcano capped by a glacier on Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula, and the setting of Verne's novel (where it is called Sneffels).

Filmed at Snæfellsjökull glacier, Iceland (Snæfellsnes, Iceland) — Reported as the filming location for the mountain scenes; the sources do not give an exact spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The abandoned mine (2007)

Sealed in by the rockfall, the group has no choice but to climb deeper. They end up in an old mine tunnel, and Hannah says it closed after a deadly disaster. Trevor asks whether Verne's book has a mine like this, and he doesn't think it does.

Set in Old Bla'gils Mine — An abandoned mine tunnel the group finds after the cave-in; Hannah says it closed 60 years ago after a disaster.

The world at the center of the Earth (2007)

After falling through the floor of a gem-filled tube, the trio lands in a vast underground world. They find Max's old dwelling and journal, and Trevor learns from Max's notes that the heat is rising and time is short. They plan to cross an underground ocean to a geyser that can carry them back to the surface.

Set in Center of the Earth — The underground world beneath the mine, where Max's dwelling stands.

Out through Mount Vesuvius (2007)

With the heat rising and the water running out, Trevor ignites the magnesium in the wall with a flare to start a geyser. It shoots the three up and out through Mount Vesuvius. Trevor tells Sean to say that Uncle Trevor took him to Italy for the weekend.

Set in Mount Vesuvius — The volcano near Naples where the geyser throws the group out. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Vesuvius is the volcano above the Bay of Naples, best known for the eruption of AD 79 that buried Pompeii.

Characters

• Trevor Anderson — A Boston volcanologist who follows his missing brother's notes to Iceland.
• Sean Anderson — Trevor's 13-year-old nephew, whose father Max disappeared ten years ago.
• Hannah — An Icelandic mountain guide whose late father worked with Max.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the lightning-storm mountain in Journey to the Center of the Earth really filmed?